Blogging, why bother?

With our brand spanking new v6 blog now live (hurrah!), we thought it was an apt time to think about the whole blogging shebang in general. Here, we give six reasons how it can boost your website and promote your business.

But first… a sad story. If you’re reading this on a mobile or tablet, maybe you should have a seat.

Take your average blog. To its writer, it’s magical at first; they tell it nearly everything, it’s given loads of attention and regular health (well, analytic) checks.

Three months later, the novelty has worn off. It becomes neglected, alone, ignored and helpless in the world (wide web).

Now replace ‘blog’ with ‘puppy’. Sniff. I know, I know. It’s okay, take a moment.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. A healthy blog can be a great additional tool to get your big idea out there in new ways. Tell your story openly, regularly and with passion and others will want to hear more. Blog it and they will come.

Here are six reasons why we think blogging is a top way to improve your website (and company if you have one).

1. Updates visitors

Let’s start with the bread and butter. Got a new product? Great, tell people! Have an opinion on an industry change. Write it up! Something irks you? Let ‘em know. Updates to your core website aren’t always obvious to onlookers, a blog however is a quick way for visitors to find out what’s new with you.

2. Helps you focus

The best blog posts have at least a little planning before writing. Blogging helps you think about your idea in new ways, what your values are, how you want to say it and what you hope the reaction will be. This pause for thought (and research) gives more precision to your personal or business goals.

3. Adds to your creativity

Leave dry essays for the classroom, blogs should be informative, creative and fun! If not, you probably won’t want to update it that often and few will probably want to read it. Tell your unique story your way and have a great time doing it.

4. Drives people to your site for free

Site traffic, that’s the point, isn’t it? Regular blog posting means your website is constantly updated and search engines will love you for it. If there are more of your pages around – with great content and search engine optimisation – you’re more likely to be found by visitors.

5. Makes you credible

Blogs are a great way to show what you stand for. Why do it? Because credibility is a fundamental reason we all return to websites. Be open, show integrity; no one is going to invest any time (never mind money) on something they don’t really trust.

6. Learn what visitors want

Reader comments give a fresh perspective on what you do as others see your idea or business. The greatest idea to some could be crock to others; a blog is a great way to put the feelers out. Share ideas, debate theories. Whether it’s praise or good ol’ criticism, blog comments are a top method to hear what customers and visitors are looking for.

And that’s six, got any more? Let us know below! Click here to find out how to add a blog to your v6 site.

I found your article quite interesting and informative, however, I am still put off by blogging for the simple reason that I have read other people’s blogs and maybe they are bad bloggers, but I get bored half way through their page and feel that they are not contributing towards their goal – they would sooner talk about themselves, rather than discuss their project goals.

Maybe they feel that there is too much based on their project and there’s a need to wind-down and discuss about themselves or it could be a case of that they no longer feel that they have anything to contribute or their forward planning has taken a nose-drive, because things haven’t worked out as planned.

Its for this reason that I feel that blogging isn’t necessary the answer and would rather devote my energy to sending emails to potential business clients, arrange contacts and meetings – you know, every day ‘can do’ business matters and if it becomes a success, then connect to my followers and share my successful experiences.

There’s definitely a fine line between the personal and the too personal. Business blogging, much like social media, definitely has a danger of being a bit ‘me and my life’ while forgetting about the relevance to audience/customers. They should be at the heart of what bloggers write about.

Just to add, blogging is just another string to the promotional bow, a business’s personal news and information sharing platform. Once a week posts isn’t a bad place to start.

I’m reviewing the way I do everything online, having dabbled in most things from conventional websites, to blogs, to forums, to social media. My social life and business life cross over, as is true for most creative professionals, so it’s hard to pitch the material and style appropriately: what’s too social for one may be too businessy for another.

My main concern is that it’s also difficult to talk about pertinent business matters without running the risk that clients think I’m talking about my experiences with them personally, or including them by implication when talking about wider matters.

Nonetheless, I’m looking at converting my existing site to html6, and after migrating some of my existing external blog material to the blog on the Moonfruit site, having a go at blogging more pointedly and on a regular basis. I want to get some regular followers and comments, but may have to challenge some of the accepted ‘comfort zone’ in my industry – and my clients with it.

I think your experience chimes with a lot of people. Writers, photographers, and even those from the professional services industries often don’t have strict 9 to 5 hours – the colleague, client and friend boundaries can be quite fluid.

We sometimes give the advice ‘don’t say anything on social media that you wouldn’t say to people in a very public place’. Push it a little more to ‘would you share an experience about a friend on a blog that they’d be happy for you to talk about in a public place?’

The answer depends on the individual situation of course, but with added legal implications of professional confidentiality. Your integrity means you’re open and honest but not so much so that your clients’ reputations are compromised.

It’s a very interesting comment. Judging by your website, there’s a lot of material you could use as photographer, especially regarding the story of a shoot, equipment and your life ‘at the front line’ as a pro. As part of the business relationship, you could try mentioning you do have a blog and like to write about your creative life. Ask your past and present customers to read it, many may like to be part of your story. After all, it’s also good publicity for them too.

Good to hear you’re migrating and good luck with the new blog. Let us know how you get on, we’d love to know the developments.

I remain frustrated that the Moonfruit blog doesn’t provide for a clickable list of older posts (archives, in other words). I’m blogging twice a week, and the lack of an archives list effectively puts posts more than a week or two old out of readers’ reach, since no one is going to click the “Older Posts” link more than a time or two. Any idea when/if you’re going to add this feature? I’m considering moving to a different blogging platform.

If you have a look on your blog you will see a RSS feed icon. If your users click on this it will allow them to subscribe. However, they will need an RSS application on their computer or tablet for it to work – you can test this with Firefox browser that has a RSS feed subscriber application built in.

The blog feature would be a great addition if it was any good…it is full of bugs and has me swearing at the screen having to redo my work constantly! So very frustrating….hope you guys actually test it out and update it VERY soon…